Cummins to miss Ashes opener; Smith to lead, Boland added to XI

Australia captain Pat Cummins will miss the opening Ashes Test in Perth on November 21 after failing to recover in time from a stress fracture in his lower back, Cricket Australia confirmed on Monday. Vice‑captain Steve Smith will lead the side, and Victorian fast bowler Scott Boland has been called into the XI as Cummins’ replacement.

Cricket Australia said Cummins has resumed running and expects to return to bowling shortly, but is not yet ready to lead the attack in the series opener at Optus Stadium. Cummins has not played in lead‑in fixtures for Australia or New South Wales and withdrew from recent limited overs tours after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress injury. He has targeted a return later in the series, with the second Test in Brisbane on December 4 and the Adelaide Test from December 17 cited as realistic possibilities.

Smith, who will captain if Cummins does not play, said the skipper had begun running and was training hard but had not resumed bowling. "He's started his running. I think he obviously hasn't started bowling yet, but he gets into things pretty quickly," Smith said. "He's in good spirits. The team's obviously better with him in it, for sure....